From hell to heaven - a broken 310 becomes a 714ce L30

TheShorty · #1 01-20-2005, 05:49 AM

I have only just found these forums whilst surfing about my new guitar - I've always been a Taylor Fan.

On sunday i craked the top of my 310 that was 6 years old. It made me very sad however after about 10 minutes i remembered it was insured. The insurance comapny paid me out today and i just bought a 714ce L30 - this is just SO exciting.

It was only ever a dream to own a 700 series Taylor. On monday when it arrives it will become a reality. The Guitar was the last in the country i could find (Australia) and is coming from about 1500kms away.

I have question though, for the Savy Taylor enthusiast. The website for Taylor claim that the 700 series of L30's has an Engelmen Spruce top, yet the place i bought it from said they thought it was Cedar. I am pretty sure they are wrong, but curious none the less. The only L30 in the 700 series listed on Taylor's website is the 712. Would the 714ce be exactly the same woods?

I sure like the idea of Engelmen Spruce and am concerned that cedar may not suite my style. Guess we'll see.... good job they have a returns policy in case.

Anyone one know for sure???

TheShorty · #2 01-20-2005, 06:11 AM

Ok, so i now know it's western Red Cedar. If i use a plectrum mainly for light to medium strumming and some picking will i still be happy with this sound live? I play in a contemporary church context and have only owned a 310 with a fishman prefix until now....

Bob Womack · #3 01-20-2005, 06:37 AM

I think your 714 with the cedar top will be fine. You will find it to be a smaller instrument and much more comfortable to hold. The cedar top won't compress much if you overload it, but it is much more responsive to lighter work than a sitka spruce top is.

Bob

TheShorty · #4 01-20-2005, 06:52 AM

Thanks for the comments. Monday just cannot come soon enough...

barkley_01007 · #5 01-20-2005, 08:36 AM

You know this brings up a great point....I've always heard about how easy it was to overdrive a cedar top. I went to a Mike Keneally clinic and he was just going insane on his 514 and I didn't notice any problems. I asked him afterwords and he said that the Taylor cedar top gave him no trouble at all....

so if Mike Keneally can give it a good work out, I'm guessing you'll be fine. Congratulations on a great purchase. enjoy!

cpmusic · #6 01-20-2005, 09:52 AM

I'm not an especially aggressive strummer, but I have yet to overdrive my 714, and I have a friend who's had the same experience with hers. Relax and enjoy!

Mismo · #7 01-20-2005, 11:34 AM

I agree with Daren to some degree. Having attended a Mike Keaneally clinic recently, he has some songs where he attacks hard but there were few instances where you could hear the distortion. I don't know if he was overdriving the Cedar top at that point or it was a distortion from the amp? He was using a K4 equalizer that was hooked up to a SWR California Blonde Acoustic amp.

Sage97 · #8 01-20-2005, 12:18 PM

Where does one go to get inusrance for instruments?

Devin · #9 01-20-2005, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sage97

Where does one go to get insurance for instruments?

I don't know - does your homeowners policy cover it? Anyway, when you get a good answer tell this guy...

http://217.160.250.165/forums/showthread.php?t=57845

- Devin

Devin · #10 01-20-2005, 12:44 PM

Check here...

http://www.musicproinsurance.com/index.htm

- Devin

TheShorty · #11 01-20-2005, 03:49 PM

AS far as the insurance goes, the 310 was itemised and listed with extra cover on my home contents insurance. I insured it for $3500 Australian to be safe, currently they are about $3200 Australian.

Most contents insurance will not cover guitars but i was amazed when i found out mine did. They also cover it for ANYTHING that could go wrong anywhere in Australia! I broke mine at church and it was all covered no problem.

In fact, i could not beleive how easy it was to get them to pay up. The day i lodged the claim, sent some photos of the damage and sent a quote for replacment it was finalized and paid out.

The unfortunate part is they come and pick up my 310. It may be badly effected by the 14cm crack in the top but it still holds a few years of sentimental value! Currently some really nice lady at the insurance company is seeing if she can return it to me. They said if it's worth nothing to them they'll give it back.

So, 6 years of paying a whole extra $3 per week on my contents insurance has paid off.

I am a little more reassured by all your comments on the cedar. But then again i read all comments on the ES through the forums last night....

I hope my experience is a good one with it. My 310 had a fishmen prefix with onboard blender in it which i was very happy with. Thankfully the FOH Sould system at church is worth over $100,000 AUS so even crap guitars sound OK. My 310 sang from it so i can only imagine what this 714ce will sound like. I guess that's all up to the electronics though......

TheShorty · #12 01-20-2005, 03:54 PM

...and just for the record i got the 714ce in Australia for $4600! A great price considering the list price is over $6000 here!!! The AUS goverment slaps too much tax on them, then the distributor makes their bit. By the time Taylor's hit the shelves here they are plenty more expensive than in the States. Because of that there is only a handfull of Taylor dealers here in Oz. There is only 1 in my state about 3 hours drive from me, and the one i dealt with is 2 states away.

Makes playing before you buy impractical, you just have to make sure there is a recourse if you don't like it. Which there is.

notamartinfan · #13 01-26-2005, 07:35 PM

My good friend is the lead worshipper at my church. We play a lot of contemporary stuff. He leads with a 714ce (cedar top) with the Fishman on board. As far as the ES goes, the newest models are fine, but there have been some issues with early ES guitars. Taylor is awesome about addressing these issues. Overdriving the cedar top has not been an issue for Joel (WL), but I do notice that the 714 isn't well suited for strumming. It is a warm sound with lots of sustain; great for fingerstyle. A lot of contemporary worship songs use "open" chords: E(no3), B/D#, A2/C#, E/G#, etc. The notes tend to run together with the 714, whereas the 600 series tends to articulate the individual notes better while strumming. If you like the bass response of your old 310, and a brighter, punchy sound well suited for strumming and some fingerstyle, check out the 510ce. Mahogany and Spruce combo. The 410ce if fairly versatile, yet a bit warmer on the low end than the 500's

Blessings,
Josh

Taylorplayer · #14 01-27-2005, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Devin

I don't know - does your homeowners policy cover it?

- Devin

Yep, mine does

Bevelman · #15 01-27-2005, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheShorty

Most contents insurance will not cover guitars but i was amazed when i found out mine did. They also cover it for ANYTHING that could go wrong anywhere in Australia! I broke mine at church and it was all covered no problem.

That's really great! Which company are you insured with? Did you have to have the guitar valued at any point?